One House Too Many

My trip to Casa South was especially rough. I went in with my eyes open though. I knew packing up an entire house (then readying it to sell) was not going to be a cakewalk. This is a monumental effort that we'll be dividing into pieces over the next three months.

Meanwhile, back at Casa North, my friend, Mel had her hands full with BBQ, the goat. I had put him in a smaller pen while I was away, even going so far as to penning him up every few days weeks in advance to get him used to "captivity".

Apparently, by the time Mel got here, he was ready to commit mutiny. He had rammed the gate so hard he had nearly pulled it off the hinges. Mel was terrified that he might hurt the does since he seemed so violent, but BBQ was just being a typical male goat. Obnoxious.

I deliberately penned him up because he's a handful. You don't realize how aggressive a male goat can get until he rams all 200+ pounds of himself at you.

Mel, resourceful as ever, managed to double-wrap the gate with chain and rope. BBQ wasn't going anywhere.

He was annoyed, but when he realized he couldn't get through, he settled down.

To thank my friend, we invited her and her husband for an early Thanksgiving dinner. This year, Greg smoked the turkey. It came out great! There was lots of food to go around and send home with my friends. 

Even my pumpkin pie was a hit. This always surprises me because I don't like pumpkin. I make it every year for Greg but I have no idea how it tastes. I must've done all right because I got two thumbs up. It was a nice ending to a very long week.

All in all, the animals did fine without me. Even more importantly, Tank did well. I left him and Maggie with Mel. I knew she'd take good care of them. She's had a lot of experience with geriatric dogs which gave me great peace of mind. Tank doesn't take long trips well anymore so it was a great relief to leave him with someone he loved and trusted.

Later this month, I'll talk about some upcoming changes in my career. I alluded to it about six months ago, but I'll spill the beans this month. It'll be shocking, terrifying, and all together typical for me. Things are about to change in my life. On purpose. Wish me luck.

For the rest of this month, I'll be switching to blogging only on Mondays. I'll still post on Back to Basics on Wednesdays. This Wednesday: Hostess Gifts.


Comments

Michelle H. said…
Mmmm... smoked turkey sounds so good! It must have smelled wonderful in your house! Many good wishes that your new venture is all that you expect it to be.
Mike Keyton said…
Another satisfying day on the prairie. I love stuff like this, pondering, too, what smoked goat might taste like. And good luck with the new project whatever it is.
Stacy McKitrick said…
Good luck on your career changes. I look forward to hearing what it's all about! You've HOOKED this reader. Haha! :)
Angela Brown said…
You know, Maria, you have so much going on that I may have missed the hint. So now I'm all pins-and-needles to know what this career change will entail.

Glad BBQ finally settled down. Boy, he sounds like he's itching to have his name change to Dinner Today. lol!!

Wishing you well as you and Greg continue work on consolidating your two households. Hugs to the four-legged children.
Jennifer Shirk said…
Career changes? Now you're scaring me...

I LOVE pumpkin everything. Except pie. LOL But I made it for the kiddo. :)

Happy post Thanksgiving.
Maria Zannini said…
Michelle: It was a lot of work but it turned out so good. I'm sorry we didn't buy that smoker sooner.
Maria Zannini said…
Mike: Greg is wondering what smoked goat tastes like too. LOL.

If only I could convey to BBQ that his obnoxious behavior is bad for his health.
Maria Zannini said…
Stacy: It's been a long time coming. I didn't reach that decision easily. I only hope it was the right one.
Maria Zannini said…
Angela: BBQ was so much trouble even my friend Mel wanted to be invited to his dinner.

The next seven months are going to be brutal. I hope I'm still in one piece after it's over.
Maria Zannini said…
Jennifer: You love pumpkin EXCEPT in pie? LOL. Now that's a new one.

The decision is a scary one for me too. Time will tell if I did the right thing.
Unknown said…
Nice to hear BBQ was being a good goat. I'd be worrying the whole time about his behaviour.

I love pumpkin pie. I do ours from scratch. Not as hard as you would think either.

Good luck on selling the house.:)
Sarah Ahiers said…
aww you tease!
But man, smoked turkey sounds delish. And how can you not love pumpkin pie??
Anonymous said…
Good luck with that house. That sounds brutal just by itself, but with your added career change, it sounds like you'll be working in your sleep!

One of these days, we'll get a smoker. I want to make bacon, and smoked turkey is probably great. Don't think I've ever had it.

I LOVE pumpkin anything. So sorry your taste buds rebel against it. Like Darke, I make my pie from scratch and it's wonderful. Almost as good as the pecan pie.
I never had a smoked turkey. Sounds good. Can't wait to hear you news.
Jenny Schwartz said…
Sitting here on the other side of the world waiting to hear your news :)
Maria Zannini said…
Darke: I make my pumpkin pie from scratch too, but since I never taste it, I never know if it's any good. LOL.

Re: BBQ
I'd never forgive myself if he hurt one of my friends.
Maria Zannini said…
Sarah: I like pumpkin seeds. Will that count? :)
Maria Zannini said…
Marlene: Oh, you don't know the half of it. I can only do so much since I can't stay away too long. And there's so much to do! It's going to be a very long year.

Maria Zannini said…
Susan: I tried a commercial smoked turkey once and it was surprisingly good. But the fresh made one was even better. Try it one year.
Maria Zannini said…
Jenny: I'm losing sleep over it but I'm not sure anyone else will. LOL.

I worry too much.
Good to hear everything went well. Our pets are happy we're finally going to be home for awhile.
Maria Zannini said…
Barbara: I hear that. The holidays are brutal on pets--more so when there's also moving involved.
Anonymous said…
You are ready to start the next chapter. New and exciting while scary. Looking forward to hearing your news :)
Crystal Collier said…
Good for you, cutting back to Mondays. I need to get brave and follow your example, but can't quite figure out how to pull it off. =)